Only a remnant survives of the Linat Cholim Jewish hospital
in Sosnowiec, crying to the Heavens. The remains of the sign in
Polish and Yiddish is displayed above the entrance, as witness
to the Nazi vandalism.

[Page 289]

On the rivers of Dabrowian Zagłębie

The history of the Jewish settlements in the regions of
Dabrowian Zagłębie and Upper Silesia

(Chapters of their history)

by Me'ir Shymon Gashury (Brukner)

Translated by Lance Ackerfeld

January 1972

Tel Aviv

Shvat 5732

Published by the Sosnowiec and surroundings émigrés organization in Israel

[Page 290]

Legend for the Jewish settlements in Zagłębie and Upper-Silesia

Page

Introduction: Jewish settlements in the Zaglembian region

291

Ostrogórka

15

Oswiecim

11

Imielin

113

Bobrek

341

Bytom

11

Będzin

105

Brzezinka (Birkental)

113

Golonóg

342

Gzichów

345

Grabocin

376

Maczki-Granica

358

Groß-Chelm

113

Dąbrowa Górnicza

95

Dabrówka

157

Dandówka

346

Debowa Góra

351

Henryków

365

Wysokie-Brzeg

357

Warpie

345

Zawodzie

375

Zagórze

351

Zagłębie

87

Ząbkowice

354

Janów

111

Józefów

352

Jezor

357

Modrzejów

292

Malobadz

345

Milowice

360

Myslowice

110, 292, 316

Niwka

365

Niemce

369

Sosnowiec

11

Strzemieszyce

336

Slawków

327

Slupna

371

Pogon

17

Porombka

373

Puszkin (?)

351

Piaski

327

Pekin

375

Czeladź

320

Kozieglówki

380

Kazimierz

376

Katowice

111, 113

Katarina

Klimontów

376

Ksawera

327

Krolewska Huta

111

Radocha

16

Rapkis (?)

377

Szopienice

111

Siewierz

380

Sielce

17

Srodula

17

Szczakowa

Rivers

Brynica

91

White Przemsza

91

Black Przemsza

89

[Page 291]

Jewish settlements in the Zaglembian region  Introduction

Introduction

I previously wrote in the monograph called History of the town of
Sosnowiec and its vicinity about the three towns that made up the Jewish
triangular thread of the Zaglembian region, and they are: Będzin,
Sosnowiec and Dąbrowa Górnicza that made up most of the people and most
of the buildings  from a general and a Jewish aspect  in the region.

However, I believe that I would not have done my duty to the Jews in the region
living in many towns and villages if I don't complete this by describing a
similar history for them. These Jewish settlements are worthy of a chapter by
themselves because of a spiritual need to recall their memory as well. It is a
good thing that the writer was very involved in the whole area being born in
one of these settlements and also from regular visits to almost every location
and from personal contact with the Jews in each place, to the point that the
writer knew the name of each Jew, personally and of his family. This deed has
not been carried out up till now, and I think that it is a mitzvah to also
immortalize the memory of these settlements that had been up till now viewed as
unknown territory and to add an aspect to the museum of Polish
Jewry that was destroyed by the foul Nazis.

It is possible to allocate the Zaglembian region from this point of view into
two parts.

The part that includes old, large and small settlements that I have already
described;

The new and unknown part, because these Jewish settlements began later, in
the second half of the 19th century and onwards, under difficult political
conditions, apart from other obstacles that were encountered with every step.
Here again there is room to provide a wide description of Jewish life in the
region within the background of their modest and traditional lives within
Zagłębie, that because of the character of the new settlement a new meaning is
received.

In this area there are in total two to three old Jewish settlements, whose
names are mentioned to various extents in documents, memoirs and travel logs,
and these are Będzin, Modrzejów and Czeladź. In Zagłębie there were a
number of places in which Jews were forbidden to settle because of the Catholic
law ne tolerandum judaeis (non-sufferance of Jews) according to the
special privilege that was given them like, Slawków, Czeladź, Siewierz,
Kozieglówki, that belonged to the same places that were deemed holy for
them. It was only thanks to Russia when the administration of Congress Poland
was transferred according to the decision of the congress in Vienna (1815) that
the gates of Zagłębie were opened wide to the immigration of Jews, and even
more after the failure of the Polish Uprising in 1863. They began streaming to
there from near and far and in a relatively short time Jewish settlements were
created in the towns and villages, in the farms and agricultural settlements,
with a grass-roots, traditional lifestyle characteristic of Polish Jewry that
was uprooted and destroyed by the murderers of the people  the German
Nazis.

Similar to the history of Zagłębie itself, the origins of the Jews is
concealed in confusing legends and anecdotes. However, one thing is certain, in
that there was a certain change in the attitude of the authorities towards the
Jews and their settlements from when the Zaglembian region was included in the
area conquered by Russia. During the Polish Kingdom period a certain
settlement region existed for the Jews, and quite a number of towns
and villages were blocked from Jewish settlement. The Russians cancelled this
prohibition and the Jews began streaming to the settlements that were new to
them. In the Zaglembian region a law was implemented in 1823 that forbade Jews
from outside the area to settle in Będzin or its vicinity without a special
license from the central authorities, on the excuse that the town was located
21 verst [a Russian unit of length: 1.067 km] from the border with Prussia and
Austria. This law remained in force till 1862, when Emperor Alexander the
Second cancelled all laws and limitations of the settlement of Jews in all of
the Polish Congress towns, apart from the limitation of settling in an area
close to the border, and it wasn't easy for a common Jew to receive a license
to settle in the Zaglembian region from the central authorities in Warsaw.
However the strong need of the Jews to find a shelter and a place
with a livelihood overcame the government laws. Indeed the old Jewish
settlements in Będzin and Modrzejów made it easier for Jews to settle in
the nearby villages.

Indeed the Zaglembian region was large and spread out, with tens of villages
and farms, without Jews, and the farmers made a meager living from their lands
that did not excel in their fertility. And justice was done by the person who
discovered treasures in the coal diamonds in deep underground recesses, and an
easier source of livelihood was opened up to the farmers' sons who started
working as miners in the coalmines and earn relatively more than the income
from agriculture. The mine owners took care of themselves from the outset
without looking after the laborers and improving their accommodation situation,
cheap economy and other desirable institutions, and the laborers themselves
hadn't managed to take care of themselves and prepare suitable arrangements for
supplies. This opened up an excellent opportunity for the Jews to act as the
intermediaries between the employers and the employees, in offering the miners
food requirements and under favorable conditions supply with credit till their
wages were paid, and the villages also had a lack of various tradesmen in the
field of clothing and foot-ware and related fields and in this area also, the
Jewish tradesmen could be of benefit. The new spirits opposing the reactionary
Russian authority had yet to be born, and only later was the Socialist movement
founded, with the P.P.S. being the largest of them, that excelled in its wide
propaganda.

[Page 292]

The Jewish merchants who had become accustomed to trade in every town and
village in Poland came looking for a livelihood in the areas close to
Zagłębie, and there were also those that came from the Kielce and Piotrokow
districts and served as purchasing agents for agriculture produce and sold them
goods from the city.

On the other hand there is a belief that the first Jews came to the villages of
Zagłębie from their homes from towns in the area and not as settlers, rather
as purchasers of agricultural produce, and towards evening they would return to
their homes in the nearby towns. However there were quite a few occasions in
which the farmers offered their Jewish guests to stay overnight, and hence a
friendly relationship was established and the farmers were willing to rent
apartments to them and open up shops, that is to say, these Jews went to live
in the villages via the back door, without a license from the
authorities, and even the government clerks made out they were unaware of this,
and only after the Jewish settlement arose and established itself did problems
arise regarding Jews living on farming land (wloscianski) or civil
land. The community of Będzin and Modrzejów absorbed Jews in the
villages as much as possible, since as a result their influence was expanded
and they even benefited from the income of the religious needs from
these new places. Earlier the Jews lived in apartments rented from farmers who
benefited from the new income, and only after financial establishment did the
Jews begin building houses of their own, of which some were several stories
high, and Christians lived in them as well.

The mitzvah of entertaining guests was very popular in all the young Jewish
settlements in Zagłębie. They had a traditional willingness to help their
fellow man however they could, financially, traditionally, publicly, and also
personally. When the blue box of the KKL [Jewish National Fund] for the
redemption of the Land of Israel was introduced, it was given pride of place in
the Jewish homes. Even institutes teaching Torah and philanthropic enterprises
were a source of great support and anyone who happened to one of these
settlements would feel himself at home.

It is needless to say, that the Jews from the towns and villages in Zagłębie
were loyal to the tradition and the religious and cultural character in its
fullest meaning. Quite a few were learned scholars, geniuses in their youth,
educated in the spirit of Chassidim, and were owners of a rich assortment of
books on Judaism and Torah, Chassidism and education, and even newspapers like
Hazfira [The Siren] with Ha-Asif annuals [a
literature journal] of Nahum Sokolov and excelled in their noble attributes
imbibed with a spirit of the love of their fellow man, and a feeling existed as
if everyone were part of the one family.

The area of the Zaglembian region wasn't always the same over all periods of
time. There were periods that it was called Great Zagłębie and it
spread out towards Zawiercie and Olkusz. On the other hand there was a
Reduced Zagłębie after certain areas were taken away from her and
annexed to other regions. There is room to describe the Jewish settlements in
the villages and farms spread about the area of Reduced Zagłębie
and perhaps someone will come forward and complete what is missing here.

The heart bursts in pain from the loss of all of this Jewry, and the passage
from the Thirteen attributes prayers is recalled: The
holy city and provinces were caused disgrace and humiliation  and all its
delights were captured and removed

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